Dec. 15, 2018
07:21 am JST

Let's keep in mind that the National Enquirer burying stories about Trump's sex life was only a small part of what they did to help elect Trump. I want to see some focus on the dozens of false stories they published on their front page about Hillary Clinton. Did the Trump campaign have any role in those stories?

Dec. 15, 2018
07:31 am JST

Cohen claims Trump knew hush money payments wrong

I question whether Individual 1 has even the most rudimentary sense of right or wrong. Trump, like all narcissistically impaired sociopaths, especially those coddled throughout life as members of some putative 'elite' privileged class, is far too me-centric to even consider any thought beyond Henderson the Rain King's I-want-I-want.

Dec. 15, 2018
07:48 am JST

Trump is already trying to set up a means of pleading ignorance, by claiming that if it was illegal, he would have expected his lawyer to tell him. But Trump runs an empire where people are not allowed to tell him he's wrong, or he freaks out. This is the game he plays. He pleads ignorance without having any means of becoming non-ignorant.

The question will be whether legally, that is a defense. I remember hearing 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' growing up, but I'm not sure if that is still the case.

Dec. 15, 2018
07:54 am JST

The question will be whether legally, that is a defense. I remember hearing 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' growing up, but I'm not sure if that is still the case.

It is not a defense; everyone is imputed with knowledge of the law. A lawyer failing to warn you that a proposed course of action is illegal is strong evidence that you thought you were acting within the law.

That said, lawyers keep records of meetings with clients. Trump would wave privilege by raising this defense.

Dec. 15, 2018
08:38 am JST

Dec. 15, 2018
08:39 am JST

Trump's new gambit - that I told him to lie and he obeyed so he therefore cannot now be trusted - is multiple shades too cute. Like a tot with a face smeared with cookie crumbs swearing he didn't steal a cookie, Trump vastly underestimates the credubility of all but his base. He'll find this out, eventually, when the law catches up with him. "Knowingly and willfuly" is required for conviction here, and that's the rope Cohen just provided to Trump.

Still, election finance illegalities is small peanuts compared to what Mueller has in store regarding Russian collusion.

Dec. 15, 2018
08:58 am JST

Dec. 15, 2018
08:59 am JST

Napolitano from Fox News has been providing some sobering analysis over the last week:

"Career prosecutors here in New York have evidence that the president of the United States committed a felony by ordering and paying Michael Cohen to break the law,” Napolitano said while speaking on Fox News.

“How do we know that? They told that to the federal judge. Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they actually have that hardcore evidence. Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they intend to do something with that evidence."

Dec. 15, 2018
09:12 am JST

"Career prosecutors here in New York have evidence that the president of the United States committed a felony by ordering and paying Michael Cohen to break the law,” Napolitano said while speaking on Fox News.

Napolitano also said, proving Trump ordered Cohen is not an easy thing to do. Just because Cohen who as we know lied on numerous occasions has a credibility problem which works in Trump’s favor, thank God!

“How do we know that? They told that to the federal judge. Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they actually have that hardcore evidence. Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they intend to do something with that evidence.

The case that they have is weak, flimsy at best, proving that Trump committed a campaign finance fraud knowingly is going to prove to be an extremely challenging act for Mueller.

Dec. 15, 2018
09:16 am JST

The Napolitano also said, proving Trump ordered Cohen is not an easy thing to do. Just because Cohen who as we know lied on numerous occasions has a credibility problem which works in Trump’s favor, thank God!

Totally! It's not as if the corrupt Dems on Mueller's team or in the Southern District of New York have corroborating evidence from AMI that supports Cohen's testimony. Silly libs getting their hopes up.

The case that they have is weak, flimsy at best, proving that Trump committed a campaign finance fraud knowingly is going to prove to be an extremely challenging act for Mueller.

Good luck with that.

I couldn't agree more! It's not as if there is corroborating evidence. HAR! LOL! Smh. Kudos!

Dec. 15, 2018
09:23 am JST

Well, as Mr. Nap said, "Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they actually have that hardcore evidence." I'll put my money on him, unless you are related to him.

proving that Trump committed a campaign finance fraud knowingly is going to prove to be an extremely challenging act for Mueller.

Yep. And what makes it easier is if there are tapes from Cohen and proof of meetings with The National Enquirer with witnesses.

Proving discrimination is also extremely difficult, but Trump managed to get sued and lose in his real estate dealings. Twice. Why? Because they were dumb enough to make an extremely clear internal policy about not renting to black people. Just like arrogant idiots do.

Dec. 15, 2018
10:20 am JST

The convicted Cohen can easily be dismissed as a liar or unreliable witness, BUT his credibility can just as easily be restored with corroborative evidence and testimony, even from a scumbag like Pecker who undeservedly dodged a doozy in the pen. And what about that big, fat, deodorized orange elephant in the room. As if anyone could believe a word uttered by that congenital master of mendacity with his Pinocchio-long list of lies, falsehoods, fabrications, duplicity, deceitfulness, dishonesty and fraudulence, a record of which stretches over decades. Desperate Trumplets should come clean and ask themselves who is to be believed: a convicted fixer, or the unindicted co-conspirator, the so-called "Individual-1" or "federal candidate" with a schnozz that cannot hide the truth.

Dec. 15, 2018
10:48 am JST

Napolitano also said, proving Trump ordered Cohen is not an easy thing to do. Just because Cohen who as we know lied on numerous occasions has a credibility problem which works in Trump’s favor, thank God!

Trump has a credibility problem, and it's far worse than Cohen's.

There is nothing that works in Trump's favour other than being president and having presidential powers that allow him to get around the law in ways that no one else can, especially as someone ready to abuse presidential powers in ways that no one else has. What was it you said in a thread yesterday? That if his son-in-law Kushner were indicted, which he probably will be, he'd be "pardoned before supper".

So Trump, while president but only while president, has things that work strongly in his favour, all related to presidential powers. (Not having to testify in person is best of all, though it remains to be seen whether he blundered with the written responses to Mueller. With Trump, even with lawyers assisting him, that's possible.) At the same time, he is beset by legal problems that are only getting worse, and presidential powers may not be enough to save his presidency. His very poor understanding of the law as anything other than leverage to gain personal advantage and screw other people over won't help him either; he's a lawyer's nightmare which is why he's got one lawyer in prison and other lawyers who simply abandoned him.

Dec. 15, 2018
10:57 am JST

If Trump honestly believes he did not know about it, which he did and has contradicted himself a number of times on, preceding it with, "Even if I did -- it's not illegal" (until it's illegal, then returning to the "I didn't know"), then he is too stupid to have the roll as president.

Dec. 15, 2018
11:02 am JST

Well, as Mr. Nap said, "Under the rules, they can’t tell that to the federal judge unless they actually have that hardcore evidence." I'll put my money on him, unless you are related to him.

Well, it still remains to be seen, now I personally take the word of law professor Alan Dershowitz: "Reasonable people can disagree about whether it's wrong to pay hush money to somebody to stop them from disclosing alleged improprieties sexually. Reasonable people can say that's wrong or that's right. It's not illegal," Dershowitz said.

He explained that a presidential candidate could give cash to an individual and explicitly state not only that the payment is to buy their silence about alleged improprieties, but also that it is specifically designed to help their campaign, and that still would not be a crime.

"Whether you think it's wrong or right, I don't understand the case for how it's illegal,"

Dershowitz said. "If you look at the very, very complicated campaign laws, the one thing that comes out simply is that a candidate may himself or herself contribute as much as they want to a campaign."

He warned against "criminalizing political sins," arguing that blurring the line between "wrong" and "crime" endangers the rule of law.

Dec. 15, 2018
11:49 am JST

Dec. 15, 2018
12:05 pm JST

This is not rocket science. Cohen faced/was threatened with imprisonment for 25 - 30 years for his own crimes. And than given an offer to get off with only 3 years if he testified against the president. Of course he's lying here also.

Dec. 15, 2018
12:35 pm JST

Dershowitz said. "If you look at the very, very complicated campaign laws, the one thing that comes out simply is that a candidate may himself or herself contribute as much as they want to a campaign."

So true. That means Trump is in the clear because he only directed Cohen to make the payments and reimbursed him instead of Trump doing it himself. Libs don't get that Cohen making the payments at the behest of Trunp is the same as Trump making the payments. ROFL!

He warned against "criminalizing political sins," arguing that blurring the line between "wrong" and "crime" endangers the rule of law.

Too right! When we wanted to criminalize Hillary for being wrong, it didn't endanger the rule of law because we love our country. HAR!

Dec. 15, 2018
12:41 pm JST

You and I don’t know that and besides, you can’t prove it. It’s his word against the Presidents.

Completely! It's not as if lawyers keep records of their meetings with clients! It's a convicted liars word against the word of someone who rarely speaks the truth. A complete slam dunk for Truthful Trump! Kudos! LOL! Smh.

Dec. 15, 2018
12:49 pm JST

Cohen recorded all his conversations lets wait and see what comes out Mueller is no way done yet....so much for the so called witch hunt that Trumplets claim it to be....sure is plenty of fake witches being caught..

Dec. 15, 2018
12:57 pm JST

Reminder: This is not under the purview of Mueller but the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. This is important as Mueller has no ability to prosecute, only to report. The latter, though, does, and the statute of limitations exceeds Trump's term. Trump's choices in 2020 seem increasingly to be reelection or jail.

Dec. 15, 2018
01:37 pm JST

Dec. 15, 2018
01:38 pm JST

Cohen is lying. The hush payments were not illegal. Hush payments are made all the time. If the payments were made from a political campaign fund and there is incontrovertible evidence, they would be violations. Violations result in fines. In other words, no jail time.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to Congress. The anti-Trumpers want you to believe that the hush money payments were a crime.

Dec. 15, 2018
02:06 pm JST

Completely! It's not as if lawyers keep records of their meetings with clients!

Many don’t and it seems like from Cohen’s history of lying, he has dabbled and stretched the truth on more than a few occasions....

It's a convicted liars word against the word of someone who rarely speaks the truth.

That’s a matter of debate. Half of Washington is a lying smorgasbord.

Cohen is lying. The hush payments were not illegal. Hush payments are made all the time. If the payments were made from a political campaign fund and there is incontrovertible evidence, they would be violations. Violations result in fines. In other words, no jail time.

Precisely.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to Congress. The anti-Trumpers want you to believe that the hush money payments were a crime.

The Trump haters are setting themselves up for a big fall, now once the President is out of office, they can go after him which would be unfortunate, but as long as he’s in office, he would never be convicted or removed even if he were to be impeached.

Dec. 15, 2018
02:06 pm JST

Serrano, my point is serious. Maybe Trump will not be impeached, and maybe he cannot be charged with crimes while in office. But once he's out of office, the latter is quite possible. This gives Trump a very large incentive to stay in office as long as possible, not for the good ofmthe country but to avoid justice. Can you not see how these dynamics work?

Dec. 15, 2018
02:23 pm JST

The liberal media just love pushing anything they think get them some points against the Donald - We don't know what Cohen said to investigators he's proven to be a liar he could have said anything to save himself from a long jail term - the anti Trumpers have yet to actually point out what the Donald has done illegally.

It's a convicted liars word against the word of someone who rarely speaks the truth.

That’s a matter of debate. Half of Washington is a lying smorgasbord.

Docs, e-mails, hard drives....

Cohen is lying. The hush payments were not illegal. Hush payments are made all the time. If the payments were made from a political campaign fund and there is incontrovertible evidence, they would be violations. Violations result in fines. In other words, no jail time.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to Congress. The anti-Trumpers want you to believe that the hush money payments were a crime.

The Trump haters are setting themselves up for a big fall, now once the President is out of office, they can go after him which would be unfortunate, but as long as he’s in office, he would never be convicted or removed even if he were to be impeached.

Dec. 15, 2018
02:30 pm JST

We don't know what Cohen said to investigators he's proven to be a liar he could have said anything to save himself from a long jail term - the anti Trumpers have yet to actually point out what the Donald has done illegally.

Amen. Us conservatives know that Mueller doesn't have any corroborating evidence to support Cohen's testimony. That's not how plea deals work. Prosecutors simply take the word of anyone that will help them get their guy.

Dec. 15, 2018
04:18 pm JST

"Maybe Trump will not be impeached, and maybe he cannot be charged with crimes while in office. But once he's out of office, the latter is quite possible. This gives Trump a very large incentive to stay in office as long as possible"

As soon as Trump hands over the presidency to the next Republican president in 2025, he's going to get on a plane for Russia, Russia, Russia! Tee hee!

"@serrano you have no idea what tapes Mueller has got nor does anyone else just have to wait and see.."

Dec. 15, 2018
05:41 pm JST

Cohen is lying. The hush payments were not illegal. Hush payments are made all the time. If the payments were made from a political campaign fund and there is incontrovertible evidence, they would be violations. Violations result in fines. In other words, no jail time.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to Congress. The anti-Trumpers want you to believe that the hush money payments were a crime.

You'll have to make this a bit simpler for me - Cohen was convicted of 2 counts of violating campaign financing laws. If what he did was illegal, how does this differ from the non-crimes that you identify?

And if he acted in concert with Trump, how is Trump not guilty of the same?

Dec. 15, 2018
05:48 pm JST

Serrano - are you suggesting that Trump is allowing the Mueller investigation to continue just to pacify Trump-hating liberals? That's very big of him.

But of course we would howl - if an elected head of state shut down or obstructed an investigation into himself, particularly one that relates to the very validity of his own election, then it would be highly concerning and a threat to constitutional basis of his office.

Dec. 15, 2018
11:16 pm JST

Dec. 16, 2018
03:27 am JST

I though Michael Cohen must be very clever and very intelligent Lawyer but he wasn't. Michael Cohen was a sore loser, and he has lost all credibility that he has built it all his life. He admitted he was a liar and now he tries to correct it, but who will believe it now.

Will Judge trust, self-admitted liar as prosecutor's witness? Michael Cohen was a self-admitted liar. Muller is pushing Cohen into a corner and threatening with long prison term against Michael Cohen if he didn't cooperate with his investigation. Michael Cohen's statement cannot be trusted because he was fearing for possible long prison term and on the other hand, he was anguishing against Donald Trump.

Michael Cohen wasn't clever and intelligent person as what peoples thought and he was a weak and average lawyer. Now his profession was finished. He wasn't trustworthy person in the eyes of future business partners after all. Michael Cohen was used by Robert Muller and he will be dumped once the case was finished and also Michael Cohen was finished too. He was used by Robert Muller as Police's informer and his fate was nothing different from all Police's informer. I'm really sorry for his wife and children but not much for him. He has to write tell all book inside prison cell and support his family with money from book sell.

Dec. 16, 2018
07:22 am JST

Trump has now lasted 2 years probably a year more than he expected to. He must think it is all hilarious. Meanwhile him and his supporters are destroying the environment like a wrecking ball. He needs to be stopped right now for everybody’s good. Not sure how we stop Pence from continuing it all but at the very least Trump has to go. There is enough on him now with what Cohen has confessed to and what the AMI and National Enquirer have admitted, the audio tapes etc so impeachment and indictment actions should begin. He may even just give up when faced with the weight of it all.

Dec. 16, 2018
12:09 pm JST

"The charges in that case were brought by special counsel Robert Mueller's office and Mueller's prosecutors have said Cohen has provided key information in their investigation. Cohen has said he is continuing to cooperate with investigators in the Russia probe, which the president has repeatedly called a "witch hunt."

Uh, oh, bad news for the Mueller witch hunt - oh my...

The Justice Department's inspector general released a report seeing thousands of text messages exchanged between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page could not be recovered after Mueller's team wiped clean the phones that had issued them.

Dec. 16, 2018
08:41 pm JST

Did you even read this article? It’s an incredibly pro-Mueller piece which sarcastically savages the blithering conspiracy theories of Trumpists. Next time you might want to read the things you post. If you can.

Dec. 16, 2018
11:25 pm JST

Dec. 16, 2018
11:29 pm JST

And then what? Ok, indicted, but won’t be convicted or removed

wait and see how much evidence is stacked against Trump first, then the voters can decide who to remove come 2020, womans vote lost Trump the house, hasnt got much more wiggle room left to lose the senate or re-election.

Dec. 16, 2018
11:51 pm JST

And then what? Ok, indicted, but won’t be convicted or removed

wait and see how much evidence is stacked against Trump first, then the voters can decide who to remove come 2020,

There you go, that’s how you do it, finally some real common sense, but here is a small conundrum, given the fact that the economy is on steroids, record unemployment, record unemployment in the Black community, over 4% GDP lower corporate tax rate, the influx of new businesses as well as international businesses and investments, companies getting tax breaks, employees getting bonuses with all this in the economy, so far on the horizon there isn’t a single Democrat that can match that or will match that and as we all know once you give people a taste of something and you try to take it away (like money) you’re going to make a lot of people angry, so at this point, Trump as an incumbent is sure to sail through a second term.

womans vote lost Trump the house,

But “working” women and men as well as independents helped Trump keep the Senate.

hasnt got much more wiggle room left to lose the senate or re-election.

So now that Trump’s hand is strengthened he had a lot of wiggle room and now the appointment of judges will be even easier and by the way, if the Dems decide to play hard ball and not pass any of his agenda through the House, the Republicans will do the same in Senate and kill any whacky bills the Dems try to put forward. So now we will have gridlock.

Dec. 16, 2018
11:52 pm JST

Dec. 17, 2018
12:48 am JST

. . . here is a small conundrum, given the fact that the economy is on steroids, record unemployment, record unemployment in the Black community, over 4% GDP lower corporate tax rate, the influx of new businesses as well as international businesses and investments, companies getting tax breaks, employees getting bonuses with all this in the economy . . . *

What a fantasy! Yet, despite what you posted, the Republicans got their butts handed to them in the Midterms, so how do you explain that? After all, if everything has been so great and what you claim has been true, then why did they lose 40 seats in the House and barely held on to the Senate? Why did Democrats hold not only 7 contested governorships but flipped 7 more? (including the very red states of Kansas and Wisconsin). Why did the Democrats flip 337 state legislative seats? Also, how come the Democrats also took 7 statehouses (3 of where they control everything)? As far as the economy is concerned, its not on steroids. For the past year, it's had hemorrhoids.

. . .so far on the horizon there isn’t a single Democrat that can match that or will match that and as we all know once you give people a taste of something and you try to take it away (like money)*

False again given the results of the election and what is coming in 2019 when the new House gets seated. As far as taking things away, well, ask the Republicans how that worked out when they threatened to take away healthcare (something that the Democrats ran on).

Trump as an incumbent is sure to sail through a second term.

Delusional and not going to happen. He will most likely pull a Nixon or Agnew and resign once it becomes clear that his criminal activities have piled up to the point where not even his staunchest allies in the GOP will support him. Recall what the Republicans did to Nixon once they realized that they could no longer cover for that criminal. History will repeat itself, and no matter how many rants you want to post, you are not going to be able to stop it.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Should we wake you after he gets forced out of office or after he has rotted in jail?

Dec. 17, 2018
03:56 pm JST

An interesting question whether Trump knew the hush payments were wrong or not. Any normal person would automatically know this, but when we are considering an extraordinarily low-wattage intellect like Trump's, it's hard to be sure. Like an 8-year-old boy, he genuinely seems to think that people believe whatever nonsense comes out of his mouth at any given moment. So maybe he told himself the payments were OK, and that's good enough for him. And his supporters.

Dec. 17, 2018
08:57 pm JST

What a fantasy! Yet, despite what you posted, the Republicans got their butts handed to them in the Midterms, so how do you explain that?

But thanks to the President they were able to gain seats in the Senate which is a big plus and a deep sigh of relief. Now it’ll be easier, a lot easier to get through and confirm judges.

False again given the results of the election and what is coming in 2019 when the new House gets seated.

They won’t get a lot done because the Senate won’t sign any legislation from the Democrats if they think it’s a) disastrous for the country. b) they try to block any GOP legislation that will come through, which means, we will see a lot of gridlock, won’t help the Democrats especially if they put all their eggs in one basket (which they generally do) and focus solely on impeaching this President and with a stronger GOP Senate majority, they need to be able to pass some of their legislation through or they’re toast in 2 years.

As far as taking things away, well, ask the Republicans how that worked out when they threatened to take away healthcare (something that the Democrats ran on).

You can make the exact same argument about impeachment, ask the Republicans how that went for them.

Delusional and not going to happen.

I agree, so this notion that if Trump gets indicted and the GOP will remove is the joke of all jokes, even Pelosi knows a President Pence will be worse, because not only will he continue the Trump agenda, but he’s solid and religious unapologetic conservative. Good luck and personally, I hope the Dems overstretch themselves...they always do.

Should we wake you after he gets forced out of office or after he has rotted in jail?

Dec. 17, 2018
09:06 pm JST

An interesting question whether Trump knew the hush payments were wrong or not.

If Trump was paying hush money to women he'd slept with (with accentuation on the word "if"), then ethically and morally, it's disgusting.

Legally, though, it's a non-issue if he was using his own money.

There's nothing illegal about one private party making a private payment to another party as part of a non-disclosure/confidentiality agreement. It happens all the time, especially with corporations and super-rich people who, because of their deep pockets, are often the targets of frivolous lawsuits and other shakedowns. It's often cheaper (even when one has done nothing wrong) to just pay them off than let it become a big drawn-out issue.

If Trump were a liberal Democrat, I'm sure most of the pre-election 2016 headlines on this story would have read something like, "Porn stars seek to shake Trump down for money and derail his campaign."

That's, of course, if it had even been a story at all. Had Trump been a Democrat, there's a good chance the story would have been buried.

Dec. 17, 2018
10:18 pm JST

But thanks to the President they were able to gain seats in the Senate which is a big plus and a deep sigh of relief.

Actually, you can thank voter suppression and gerrymandering for those results, especially in North Dakota, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Kindly explain how the Republicans got rewarded with 65% of the legislative seats in Wisconsin, but they only got 45% of the vote? Is that how democracy is supposed to work? However, despite all of their shenanigans, the GOP only picked up a grand total of two additional Senate seats, and they should have picked up more considering all of the seats that were up for grab were in states that Trump won by double-digits in 2016, so no, Trump had very little to do with it. The good news is, now that the Democrats are back in charge of many state legislatures, future voter suppression tactics will be a lot more difficult for the GOP to pull off. Also, in 2020, there will be a lot more vulnerable Republican Senate seats on the line, so enjoy your small majority while it lasts.

They won’t get a lot done because the Senate won’t sign any legislation from the Democrats if they think it’s a) disastrous for the country. b) they try to block any GOP legislation that will come through, which means, we will see a lot of gridlock, won’t help the Democrats especially if they put all their eggs in one basket (which they generally do) and focus solely on impeaching this President and with a stronger GOP Senate majority, they need to be able to pass some of their legislation through or they’re toast in 2 years.

Nope, all the Democrats have to do is continue to show that any gridlock will be on the shoulders of the obstructionist Republicans should they decide to block or mess around with legislation that the majority of the voters who put the Democrats in charge are expecting to pass. So, should the GOP decide to kill any more of the ACA or shut down the government (something that Trump has already said would be "on him" if it happens) then the GOP will be the toasty ones.

As far as taking things away, well, ask the Republicans how that worked out when they threatened to take away healthcare (something that the Democrats ran on).

You can make the exact same argument about impeachment, ask the Republicans how that went for them.

Not really since many people are very concerned about losing their healthcare or not being able to get any at all, so no it's not the same as a bungled impeachment attempt. However, should impeachment come up because of blatant misuses of power as well as hard evidence that the president and his minions committed high crimes and other offenses, it is not going to be the same as the last time when the Republicans tried to rid of a president over an affair with an intern. I'd wager that a lot of people are going to care if they learn that their president is a traitor, a criminal, and a mentally unstable individual who is grossly unfit for office and needs to be removed ASAP rather than trying to get rid of him because of his inappropriate extra curricular activities.

I agree, so this notion that if Trump gets indicted and the GOP will remove is the joke of all jokes . . .

No, the GOP will get punished in 2020 for refusing to perform their Constitutional duty should enough evidence get produced as to warrant impeachment and removal from office. Go back and see what happened to Nixon--and don't give me any of this nonsense that what Trump might be facing is not the same as Nixon because if you look at Nixon's articles of impeachment (obstruction of justice, abuse of power, etc.), you'll see that history is repeating itself.

Afer (sic) 2024 sure, wake me up.

You need to go back to civics class. The president only gets a four-year term, so you'd better be awake in 2020 because his term will be up. If you think it is a guarantee that he'll be re-elected, then I suggest that you take another look at the midterm results: The Democrats got 9 million more votes than the Republicans in the overall count, so clearly, they're not very happy with the current guy in charge.

Dec. 18, 2018
02:18 am JST

Actually, you can thank voter suppression and gerrymandering for those results

Both parties do it and if the Democrats get a chance they’ll do it as well.

Nope, all the Democrats have to do is continue to show that any gridlock will be on the shoulders of the obstructionist Republicans should they decide to block or mess around with legislation that the majority of the voters who put the Democrats in charge are expecting to pass.

Both are in an equal position, sorry. There is no way the Dems will get anything through a Republican Senate if the Dems decide to play hardball. McConnell already stated he’s not going to play with the Democrats, either they come together and work on bipartisan issues or they’ll block each other.

Not really since many people are very concerned about losing their healthcare or not being able to get any at all, so no it's not the same as a bungled impeachment attempt.

But at the same time there are millions of people that think the government shouldn’t be involved in the healthcare business, this is another reason why the courts ruled that that crap was unconstitutional.

No, the GOP will get punished in 2020 for refusing to perform their Constitutional duty should enough evidence get produced as to warrant impeachment and removal from office.

I doubt it. The Democrats took their shot and missed, Trump has an over 80% favorable approval among Republicans, there is No way they’re going remove this President from office should he be indicted.

You need to go back to civics class.

Sadly, They don’t teach that anymore, the liberals got rid of it and replaced it with identity politics,

The president only gets a four-year term,

As an incumbent and a President who overhauled the tax code, brought back business investments, fracking, having a GDP over 4% putting more money into the economy, translating that into bonuses for corporations and to pass on the tax cuts for their employees, lowest black unemployment, lowest unemployment overall, business investments up, bottom line is, at this moment in time there is no Democrat that can offer any of this, the only thing that double offer is more income redistribution. Trump blew away 17 of the most powerful Washington establishment Republicans and if that’s any indication, he will stomp a mud hole in all of these Democrats that are trying to make a name for themselves. Good luck with that.

Dec. 18, 2018
09:24 am JST

Both parties do it.

No, both parties don’t do it. Name one piece of legislation or one instance of the Democrats engaging in voter suppression since the Voting Rights Act was enacted in the 1960s. In contrast, I can name quite a few examples of Republicans doing it and getting caught in the most recent election. Want some examples? Google Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Georgia for just a small taste of the shameful tactics they employed in order to put their finger on the election scales. I won’t even get into the voter fraud case in North Carolina where the election results in one district still haven’t been certified because a Republican operative by the name of Leslie McCrae Dowless was caught “harvesting” and then throwing away absentee ballots from Democratic voters. As far as gerrymandering goes, take a look at what happened in Pennsylvania after a judge ruled that the districts needed to be redrawn. The GOP got hammered.

McConnell already stated he’s not going to play with the Democrats . . .

This is nothing new. However, the American voters are no longer going to put up with his obstructionism.

But at the same time there are millions of people that think the government shouldn’t be involved in the healthcare business, this is another reason why the courts ruled that that crap was unconstitutional.

Nope, the courts did not rule “that crap was unconstitutional.” Review the rulings by The Supreme Court in the 2012 “National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, “ as well as the 2015 decision where the court ruled 6-3 in favor of the ACA and its constitutionality.

Trump has an over 80% favorable approval among Republicans . . .

Who are in the minority. The Republicans just got defeated by 9 million votes (a record) overall in the most recent election, so your statistic is misleading.

As an incumbent and a President who overhauled the tax code

Which did nothing for the average person and only helped the .1%. I also find it interesting that many Republicans didn’t use it as an election issue in the last election. I wonder why.

brought back business investments

You mean like in what GM just did in Ohio?

having a GDP over 4% putting more money into the economy, translating that into bonuses for corporations and to pass on the tax cuts for their employees, lowest black unemployment, lowest unemployment overall, business investments up

So please explain why the Democrats gained 40 House seats, 337 state legislative seats, 7 governorships, and 7 statehouses if things are as rosy as you claim. Shouldn’t we all be running around barefoot through the fields playing pan flutes and singing songs of praise for all of the so-called accomplishments that you listed? Sorry, but the American voters aren’t buying it—they can’t afford to, especially after the stock market took yet another tumble today.

Finally, Trump’s legal woes will continue after the Democrats in the House take over next month. The convictions and guilty pleas of Flynn, Gates, Manafort, Papadopoulos, Cohen, and many others have demonstrated that this presidency is on very shaky ground. Any hopes of re-election in 2020 are getting bleaker and are only going to get worse as things drag on.

Dec. 18, 2018
07:23 pm JST

Is there a difference between feeling something is "wrong," and knowing that society at large knows that that something is wrong? Did he really believe that his actions were wrong? What I am geting at is that sociopaths typically know what society considers right and wrong, but do not themselves feel any constraints beyond a consideration for the consequences of getting caught. Being incapable of compassion and being unable to feel guilt go hand in hand, and his lack of empathy is legend.